Click! Click! Click! Click! Many feet step together in unison, a small group of shadows moving side-by-side with one another down the road. White tracksuits, fitted with black outlines; the uniform for the rookie group!
Tulod Hazwhirl in his massive stature marched behind the group to not cast a shadow over all of them, and to defend against anything that was to come from behind! "The Squad Leader's up ahead, please behave yourselves." He cautions.
Jade Moss wearing a matching outfit, though hers somehow highlighted her curvaceous body, even more, walked a bit in front of Tulod. "We aren't a group of delinquents or anything, Tulod. I think we'll be fine." Waving her hand through the air lousily, she brushes Tulod's concerns aside.
Zaiden Morrison and I, Roshia Qinlen, stand side-by-side walking with one another, bickering about something dumb. "Zaiden, you can't fight that woman! We don't even have a clue of what her ability is! All of the [Vanquishers] seem like monsters!" I caution, shouting into his ear from beside him. My warnings apparently went out the other ear, though. "My sword will cut through whatever power she has! Just give me a bit of training!" He scowls, clearly upset about the outcome of the meeting from before.
When we were required, Zaiden was flung out of the hospital room by seemingly nothing. I've had too many things to think about recently to concern myself with the nature of Alice's ability. But what I have considered is that it's probably more powerful than Toy's. There's no way to confirm this yet, but [Cause and Effect] just sounds too strong to ignore.
Rightfully, Zaiden is very upset with the way that he was treated by Alice and is thinking of new ways to get back at her.
"You'll end up making an unbeatable enemy if you keep this up, you know." The difference in levels has become something noticeable and problematic, to me at least. It's irritating, knowing that I have to level up and grind harder than most just to get to where I have to be. I can warn Zaiden as much as I'd like to, but I don't think he'll listen to me even with the gap in levels.
"Do you think that those swordsmen would quit just because there was someone stronger than they were!?" Zaiden retorts. It's become clear that he has no intention of backing down against such a powerhouse. It makes me wonder, in a world where different people can get abilities that were so dreadfully powerful, just how could they be countered? I mean think of it, if someone had the ability to cut through anything, how wouldn't that make them the strongest in their respective spots?
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Thinking back on the conversation I had with Anaphiel...
"The [Red Mother]? Who's that?" I question. Anaphiel told me that I'd been noticed by the [Red Mother], but I'm not sure who that is at all.
"I can't spare you all the details, but just think about it. The girls with red hair, all of them being sisters, and they're absurdly powerful? I think you get the picture, don't you?" Anaphiel, explains, her finger roughly tapping me on the head with each point.
Anaphiel then continued to tell me something... disturbing. "If I were you, I'd die now. If your ability works how I think it does, you're better off dying and taking up a new identity before that woman finds you." These words came as a surprise to me, I'd never thought that Anaphiel was capable of saying such things. She didn't seem like the kind of person that'd recommend you to die.
"I don't plan on dying so abruptly, Anaphiel. This life has been good so far. I've been getting used to this life and things even seem like they're getting interesting. I thought that I'd spend my entire life leveling up doing the typical grind, but I've thought of a few ways to spice things up." My ability is incredible, thanks to Anaphiel. I can steal the abilities of the enemies who I kill depending on the gap in power between us. For now, I will level up and grow my strength until I can freely take the abilities of all of these lesser enemies.
"Roshia, I understand how you feel, but this situation is beyond your understanding. You are in serious danger. That woman, she is not of 'this world'." Anaphiel warns, but I can't help but wave her off. Even if this woman is as dangerous as she says, I can't just die now.
Those words could mean anything. It's obvious that Anaphiel is keeping some major details from me by the way she's speaking alone.
"Calm down, Anaphiel. If something bad happens, I'll take care of it myself. I can't have you covering me all the time, can I?" Brushing my annoyance aside, I offer Anaphiel a smile of comfort. The look of worry on her face seemed way too uncharacteristic for the girl who's always almost always smiling. It'd be like Zaiden becoming unmotivated.
"Besides, have you seen how strong I've gotten!?" My HUD pops up in front of the two of us, showcasing my current stats and abilities! Farming the [Dungeon] had its rewards after all!
AWAKENER INFORMATION [E-RANK]
Name: Roshia Qinlen Class: Thief
Age: 17 Skills: Skill Steal (Level 1), Danger Sense (Level 5), Eagle Eye (Level 2), Ranged Weapon Mastery (Level 1), Synergy (Level 2), Short-Bladed Weapon Mastery (Level 2), Weak Presence (Level 1)
Gender: Female Level: 2 [EXP: 50/200]
STAT INFORMATION
Strength: 5
Speed: 8
Endurance: 3 Intelligence: 2 Agility: 8 Magic: 10
"For starters, it looks like my [Intelligence] Stat went up naturally. I don't need to distribute stat points into it, it seems. The rest of my points were randomly distributed into [Strength] and [Speed]. I'll probably be able to distribute them myself at some point." I explain to Anaphiel, imagining a pair of glasses that I can adjust over my face. She rolls her eyes in response, probably well aware of all of this already.
"I acquired two skills from killing those goblins. [Short-Bladed Weapon Mastery] which seems self-explanatory, working with things like Daggers and Shortswords. Then there's [Weak Presence], which from what I've researched, means that I'm so weak that most things or people won't detect me from afar unless they are actively looking for me. It doesn't work all the time, obviously." Anaphiel lets out an 'oooh' in response, lingering over me, upside down.
SLAP! I feel something hit me in the back of my head. When I look up, Anaphiel is looking a bit agitated. "I think I should go, sorry about that." The pain from the slap goes away, and Anaphiel disappears before I can even say anything. She seemed interested, but what was up with that reaction at the end? It's probably because I disregarded her warnings. I'm immortal in the end, right? I shouldn't need to worry about being hunted by some mysterious woman. After all, I'm assigned with some of the most powerful Awakeners in the country!
I didn't mention it to her, but it looks like some of my skills leveled up since I used them on Mind who was significantly more powerful than I was. My Danger Sense in particular has gone up by quite a lot, probably because of the clear danger such a monster posed to my life.
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Snapping out of my flashback, we've arrived at our gathering point.
When we arrive, Alice is standing on the shoulders of a tall man, a man taller than Tulod! He's exactly 8-feet tall and oddly muscular. His hair was well-kept, his spiky brown hair slicked back. His arms were crossed, the sunglasses concealing his eyes and making him look stern despite the fact that he was holding a girl on his shoulders. "You've finally made it, fresh meats!" Alice speaks down to us pridefully, forcing us to look up at her.
"Miss Alice, do you mind getting down?" A soft voice come out from behind the mountain of a man in what was a few pitches short of a whisper. Behind Alice, there is a small girl wearing the same tracksuit as the rest of us. She looked young, definitely younger than the rest of us. Her hair was shining a vibrant blonde, reflecting the light from its surroundings. "Uh, who's that kid?" Zaiden questions, pointing at the girl absentmindedly.
Zaiden's pointing wasn't very well received by Alice. Zaiden's body suddenly collapses through the cement beneath him, even though nothing actually reached him. There is a powerful gust of wind that follows shortly after and a painful groan let out from Zaiden's muffled lips. "M-Miss Alice! Please don't do that! It's fine!" The girl shouts up at Alice, some sweat dripping down her face in nervousness.
"So cute..." I say under my breath, hearing Jade say something similar across from me as well. Just like at the hospital, Zaiden was suddenly standing back where he once was, like what'd just happened never occurred. Zaiden only blinks, just as clueless as the rest of us.
Alice takes a leap from the giant she'd been standing on who remained standing firm even as she landed on the ground in front of him. "You young corpses are going to be clearing a [Dungeon] with us today, especially you." It takes a few seconds but then I realize that Alice is pointing at me. I end up pointing at myself too, visibly confused.
"I've heard about your ability, you'll be a whole lot more useful than everyone else here if we take you into a more dangerous dungeon. We'll get all of the enemies weaker and you'll finish them off. Since we're a party, we'll be able to share rewards, as long as you lot contribute." Alice explains, tapping me on the forehead a bit roughly. I rub my forehead, unconsciously letting out a whimper.
"Huh...?" An unfamiliar pleasure ran through my body from her tapping me, something that shouldn't have happened from my forehead being touched. I have a sneaking suspicion that she just used her ability on me. "What did you—" Alice cuts me off by clapping her hands together.
Alice begins speaking, "All of you will stick close to me, or else you'll probably-certainly-surely die inside of that Dungeon." Alice explains, the tone of her voice changing to one that seems far too childish, matching the unsettling bright smile she's created on her face. I didn't even think it was possible for such a threatening woman to look that way, she looked like a wholesome girl, somehow!
Then she continues. "First, we need to do some introductions. Behind me is our [B-Rank Tanker], Leopold Dolton." So the tall man behind her was a tanker. That must explain his massive appearance, it'd unsettling thinking of him as a swordsman or assassin who swings a massive sword. Then she continues on to point to the girl who was hiding behind Leopold. "That child is our [A-Rank Pathfinder], Lulu Burns."
"A-Rank!" Jade can't keep her surprise hidden when I barely manage to myself. "That's incredible, but she's so young!"
I half-expected Alice to give Jade a slap across the face but instead, she just chuckle at the remark. "Lulu is 11 years old, but thanks to her rare class she's been allowed to assist us in our work at a young age. In return, our guild financially supplies her and her family, I'm in charge of looking after her." Alice takes some steps around the massive Leopold, softly petting Lulu on top of her head. "Usually, she'd be forced to go through the [Awakener Academy] for young children who've awakened early."
The [Awakener Academy] is a school for young children and teens, functioning similarly to normal schools. Because of the nature of [Awakeners], it's become too dangerous to keep them in school with normal people, so a school for awakened children was founded by Vallie Bekhon. I don't know much about Vallie myself but I do know that she is one of the S-Rank Awakeners of the world who haven't joined or created a guild.
"In other words, if she gets hurt, we'll get into even more trouble, right?" Tulod speaks up, earning a smile from Alice who doesn't answer.
Again, her smile is enough to send a chill down my spine. I don't know how many times I have to say it, but Alice is a frightening young woman. To think that I'll be sharing a team with her for a while makes me worry for my own well-being. Though she seems extremely loyal to Toy so I'm guessing that she won't bring too much harm to us as long as we're useful to her.
"We'll show you our skills in battle so you don't have to worry your pretty little heads about getting hurt." Alice flicks a finger through the air at me again, and I feel that weird pleasure run through my body again. This time it's a lot more overwhelming, causing my knees to press together. "Uh... Miss-" Before I can finish my sentence, I'm cut off by Alice clapping her hands together again.
"Follow us, meat shields!" Alice is now on top of Leopold again — who continues to stand firm despite the obnoxious girl standing on him.
☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
We'd spent the past 30 minutes walking nonstop. If not for the fact that I was in a body that was fit for fighting against literal monsters, I'd have been in serious pain. Actually, I am in serious pain! I have clue how we found ourselves traversing up the side of a mountain, but I've never regretted my decisions more in my life! Worst of all, I somehow found myself carrying Lulu on my back!
More specifically, I couldn't resist offering to carry the small girl halfway up the mountain. Even though she clearly wasn't exhausted, I still just wanted a reason to have this girl close to me. It was the closest thing to an embrace I'd get in this situation.
"Say, Lulu." I tilt my head some to speak to the girl behind me a bit more directly. "Why'd you decide to work as an Awakener? Couldn't you have stayed in school and lived a normal life for a bit longer?" It didn't sit right with me, to see a child partaking in these expeditions.
"It felt like I had to. My mom would always come home looking terrible ever since my daddy disappeared. Sometimes I'd hear her crying in her room and I wanted to help, this is the only way I can." Lulu explains to me, clearly trying to conceal the sadness in her voice. "Well, I think you're very brave, Lulu." Rewarding her with some reassurance, I reach one of my hands back and pat the small girl on her head.
She wasn't heavy at all and her reasoning made sense to me. This really was a strange world I found myself living in now. A world where children were using their gifts to help their families. It really made me wonder what'd happened to my family years prior... I don't think they could've survived.
My mother wasn't a very nice woman, honestly. She claimed to care about me and it showed periodically. But outside of those times, I was largely doing everything on my own. Hell, the only reason that I was able to afford my own car was the life insurance money that we'd collected after my dad passed away. He was a terrible person, downright. It sickened me to think of the abuse he'd put my mother through. I never experienced it personally, but torturing my mother with screaming and physical abuse was the same as hurting me, right?
I'm shoved out of my deep thoughts by Lulu's hands slapping against both of my cheeks. "Ouch! What's happening!?" I'm frantically looking around, trying to figure out what's happening when I hear Lulu giggling behind me. "Miss Roshia looked like she was sad! Whenever I'm sad, I have to smack myself out of it!" That's sure as hell one way of doing it. I chuckle in response, shaking my head a bit. "Try calling my name next time, heh."
After a few more minutes, our group is standing in front of a large [Gate] at the entrance of a cave. "Did the rift do this...?" Zaiden questions. Behind the rift, the cave seemed to go endlessly, probably burrowing far deeper than the length of the mountain. Lulu leaps from my back, Alice doing the same thing; leaping from Leopold's shoulders.
✦ You've identified an [Orange Gate], Roshia Qinlen! Please proceed with caution, your life is at risk! ✦
✦ Due to [Corruption 1], the Quest [Awaken the Siblings] has been activated! Please reach [Level 10], or [Die]! ✦
✦ You are expected to slay the [Abysmal Shaman] within this [Dungeon]! Failure will result in an [Invasion]! ✦
Looking around me, no one else seems to get this notification. I guess it makes sense since the notification is popping up on my HUD. In my head I can hear a distant voice whispering to me, enticing me to enter the Dungeon.
"Come, our Master... Free us." The voice of a little girl speaks to me, though I manage to brush it off.
"You are needed, Master..." Then, the voice of a little boy speaks to me too. This time, I can't ignore it. It's been two times now that I've heard the voices and that's one time too many!
"This Dungeon is easy for us which is why none of you have armor. In this world, you won't always need armor to protect yourselves. It becomes useless for anyone who isn't a tank at some point." Alice's explanation doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but I guess it's her way of saying that you can still look fashionable while becoming an absolute monster. "Follow close behind me. As I said, I can't keep you alive otherwise." Without warning, Alice heads to the [Gate], not even waiting for us.
...
When we get inside the Dungeon, I'm rendered completely disoriented by the sea of blue and white before me. The sky and clouds that I stand on are like a painted floor. But the actual sky above us consisted of greenery with some blue, the ground. "Are we... standing on the sky!?"